Philippine House of Representatives party-list election, 2010
The 2010 House of Representatives of the Philippines party-list elections, will occur in May 10, 2010. The whole country will be one at-large district, where parties nominate three persons to be their candidates, ranked in order of which they'll be seated if elected. Candidates from the district elections are not allowed to be nominated by the parties participating in the party-list election, nor are parties who have candidates in the district elections may be allowed to join the party-list election; the parties in the party-list election must represent a distinct "sector" in the society such as women, laborers and the like. In the election, the voter elects the party, not the nominees of the party. If the party surpasses 2% of the national vote, the person first nominated by the party will be seated. Additional seats can be won depending on the amount of votes the party garnered in the election (see the formula). A total of 57 party-list congressman will be elected. Background Prior to the election, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) expected an increase of party-list organizations seeking accreditation from the 153 organizations that applied for accreditation during the 2007 elections. The COMELEC also de-listed 25 party-list organizations for either failing to participate in the last two elections or did not obtain two percent of the votes cast. However, the COMELEC said the two percent vote requirement does not cover the organizations that won a congressional seat based on a recent Supreme Court ruling. Militant groups Migrante and Sanlakas protested such de-listment, saying that they were not covered by the 2% rule, and that such rule is unconstitutional. Another 8 such organizations also filed a motion for reconsideration or a verified opposition against their de-listment. After purging the party-list roster, the COMELEC then acted upon the organizations that filed their manifestations of intent to run. LGBT group Ang Ladlad appealed their disqualification after the COMELEC's First Division disqualified the organization due to "moral grounds," citing the Bible and the Qur'an. Party leader Danton Remoto, a professor at Ateneo de Manila University, cited the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as reasons why Ang Ladlad should be re-instated. Remoto would then appeal to the commission en banc The COMELEC also disqualified Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and government employees union Courage. The commission's First Division disqualified ACT after it had failed to prove hat it exists "in most of the regions;" the commission said that, Courage on the other hand, "exists in Western Visayas, Davao del Sur, a town in Lanao del Norte and Rizal and some cities in Metro Manila," and that it failed to prove that it represents a "marginalized and under-represented sector." In December, the commission en banc denied Ang Ladlad's motion for reconsideration with finality as Remoto said he would elevate the case to the Supreme Court. In January 2010, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order to the COMELEC on disqualifying Ang Ladlad. With the COMELEC prevented from disqualifying Ang Ladlad, the organization along with 143 others were included in the final list of accredited party-list organizations, although the status may change if the court sides with COMELEC on the issue. Under Resolution 8745, six additional party-list groups were accredited, bringing the total to 150. The party-list election has been hit by allegations that several parties are fronts by the ruling administration. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), a coalition of left-leaning party-lists, and election watchdog Kontra Daya said that nine party-lists are connected to the Arroyo political family. The parties and their first nominee cited are: *Ang Galing Pinoy, a party that claims to represents security guards: outgoing second district of Pampanga congressman Mikey Arroyo. Arroyo, the son of president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo willingly dropped his intention to run in Pampanga's 2nd district to let her mother run. *Transport group 1-UTAK: Secretary of Energy Angelo Reyes *Pilipino Association for Country – Urban Poor Youth Advancement and Welfare (PACYAW), which claims to to advocate sports development in the country: former Tourism assistant secretary Janet Lazatin as its first nominee. Kabalikat ng Mamamayan (KABAYAN) The administration distanced itself from the six pro-government parties insisting it has not endorsed any group supposedly to augment the administration's representation in Congress, saying that "it is up to the COMELEC to judge and issue a decision on the matter." On April 8, 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that Ang Ladlad is allowed to run in the 2010 election, saying with a unanimous vote that what is immoral is not necessary illegal. Results :Incumbents nominated by their parties are italicized; proclaimed winners are highlighted. References External links *Official website of the Commission on Elections Category:Philippine general election, 2010